Senior Structures Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in Kent, Washington, United States. U.S. citizenship, U.S. permanent residency, refugee or asylum status, or applicable ITAR authorization is required.

Salary: $172,000–$203,000 annually. Equity may also be provided.

Company

Develops modular, scalable satellites and space-based solar energy infrastructure for orbital energy distribution, high-performance computing, and optical data transport.

What you will do

• Own the full lifecycle of primary tanks and welded structures, from requirements, architecture, and preliminary sizing through drawing release, fabrication, testing, and flight readiness.
• Design tank barrels, domes, bulkheads, weld joints, penetrations, attachments, and supporting structures with clear load paths and defined interfaces.
• Perform design trades balancing structural performance, mass, manufacturability, inspectability, cost, and schedule.
• Partner with structural analysts to establish load cases and verify strength, buckling, fatigue, and damage tolerance under pressure, thermal, and vehicle loads.
• Release CAD models, engineering drawings, and specifications covering materials, GD&T, weld details, tolerances, and inspection requirements.
• Support manufacturing, welding, inspection, and test operations; lead design reviews, resolve nonconformances and anomalies, manage configuration changes, and mentor engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience designing and developing structures for flight vehicles, propulsion systems, or other high-performance hardware.
• Demonstrated ownership of metallic tanks, pressure vessels, or thin-walled welded structures from design through manufacturing and test.
• Strong fundamentals in solid mechanics, structural stability, materials behavior, and joint design, including pressure loading, buckling, fatigue, and welding effects on structural performance.
• Proficiency with mechanical CAD, engineering drawings, GD&T, and tolerance analysis.
• Ability to substantiate design decisions with classical hand calculations and interpret structural analysis results with analysts.
• Experience working directly with manufacturing, inspection, and test teams to resolve hardware issues.
• Must meet applicable U.S. person or ITAR authorization requirements.

Nice to have

• Experience designing launch vehicle primary structures or cryogenic propellant tanks.
• Experience with stainless-steel tank construction, sheet and plate forming, and welded assemblies.
• Experience developing weld-joint designs and supporting weld-process qualification, including material properties, heat-affected zones, distortion, defects, and nondestructive inspection.
• Experience with reusable or repeatedly pressurized hardware, thermal cycling, fatigue life, inspection access, and repair considerations.
• Experience supporting structural qualification campaigns, pressure testing, and failure investigations.
• Familiarity with aerospace structural standards, pressure-vessel requirements, and material allowables sources such as MMPDS.
• Experience moving hardware from early development into repeatable production and improving designs based on fabrication and test results.

Culture & Benefits

• On-site work with direct involvement in hardware development, fabrication, and testing.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, paid time off, and 10 paid holidays.
• Paid parental leave and relocation assistance if applicable.
• Daily lunch in the office and a stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks.